


Steele Not the One

by NorahBolt56



Category: Remington Steele (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-13
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:20:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23128438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NorahBolt56/pseuds/NorahBolt56
Summary: This is set during Steele Searching - Part 2 and explores the question, what did Daniel and the Earl of Claridge really discuss before Remington visits the Earl?
Relationships: Daniel Chalmers & Remington Steele, Laura Holt/Remington Steele
Kudos: 6





	Steele Not the One

“Oh Mr Carstairs do come in,” the Earl of Claridge invited Daniel into his study, a warm smile on his face. Daniel smiled in return and seeing as he was about to be rather honest with the Earl he decided to tell him his real name. “Actually the name’s Chalmers – Daniel Chalmers. I adopted a false name & disguise in order to infiltrate the miners and discover their plot to do away with you,” he told him, conveniently leaving out the part about his originally planned jewellery heist.

“Well whatever your name is my good fellow I’m extremely grateful to you for saving my life – please have a seat,” the Earl beckoned as Daniel did so. “I’m sorry I don’t have more time for you today but I have a very important meeting straight after this one,” the Earl apologized.

“Actually your Lordship that’s what I’d like to talk to you about,’ Daniel stated seriously. The other man looked at him curiously as he took a seat opposite him. Daniel took a moment to collect himself before revealing one of the biggest secrets of his life.

“The young man you’re about to meet - who you think is your son..,” Daniel started.

“Yes?” the Earl asked expectantly, wondering how this Chalmers fellow knew that.

“This won’t be easy for you to hear your Lordship but I know for a fact that he isn’t your son,” Daniel told him as a frown crossed the Earl’s face, wondering what he was playing at.

“And how exactly would you know that?” he countered.

Daniel looked him in the eye and swallowing the lump in his throat stated, “Because he’s my son.”

The Earl looked at him in shock. “What? Is this some sort of joke?” he demanded.

“No I assure you it isn’t a joke,” Daniel replied with a rueful shake of his head. “You sir are in fact the first person I’ve told that to – he doesn’t know himself.”

“Well how do you know for sure he’s your son?” the Earl asked, still clinging to a hope that Chalmers was mistaken and that the young man he was about to meet was actually his long lost son, Sean James. “His friend, Miss Holt, informed he was tall with dark hair – not unlike myself and may I say, you don’t really fit that description,” the Earl pointed out, not willing to give up his dream without a fight.

Daniel nodded in agreement. “That’s because he takes after his mother looks wise. She was the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen – tall with flowing ebony black hair and eyes as blue as the sky,” he reminisced with a wistful smile.

Something Daniel had said caught the Earl’s attention. “Did you say blue eyes?” he asked, as he felt his dreams of finally finding his son shatter around him. Daniel nodded in confirmation.

“I see,” the Earl said, his voice quiet as he got up and walked to the other side of the room, not wanting the other man to see the disappointed, sorrowful look that crossed his face. His son had had hazel eyes, like his mother. Even though he had only seen the boy once as an infant, he had memorized every last detail of appearance.

“So how does he not know you’re his father? You obviously know him, but Miss Holt told me he had been searching for his father all his life,” the Earl asked in confusion.

A regretful expression clouded Daniel’s features. “I’m not proud of the circumstances that have caused that to be the case but well.. here I am. Let’s just say I have trod a path somewhat off the straight and narrow at various times during my life and when I met his mother was one of them. I had this grand plan to make a lot of money quickly so we could settle down, but unfortunately things didn’t exactly go to plan. I was arrested and spent the better part of two years as a guest of your royal relative, her Majesty,” Daniel stated wryly as the Earl’s eyes widened with surprise.

“Anyway, during my incarceration I learnt that she was with child, my child. She gave birth to a son but..,” Daniel paused as his emotions momentarily overwhelmed him, while the Earl waited patiently for him to go on. “But she unfortunately passed away due to complications from the birth,” Daniel continued, his voice tinged with sadness and regret. “The boy, my son, was passed around between distant relatives of his mother’s and by the time I was released from prison I had lost track of him. I never stopped searching for him though.’

“So when did you find him?” the Earl asked, intrigued by Chalmers’ story. And somewhat envious he had to admit of the other man who had been able to find his son when it appeared he again had run into a dead end in his own search.

“When he was fourteen. I tracked him down to the streets of London where he’d been living since stowing away on a boat from Dublin. As soon as I saw him and I saw how much he looked like his mother, I knew it had to be him. He was picking pockets to earn a quid so I presented myself as an easy mark and when he went to pick my pocket I nabbed him and we came to an arrangement. I offered to give him a roof over his head and teach him ‘the tricks of the trade’ as an alternative to being handed over to the police.”

“So why didn’t you reveal to him who you were?” the Earl asked as Daniel sighed. “I was afraid to. He’d built up so much anger towards the father he had never known that I decided to become his mentor instead and tell him the truth when the time was right.”

“And that right time has never come?” the Earl asked a little incredulously.

“Oh there’s been so many times I’ve wanted to tell him but..well I guess I’m a coward. I don’t know what I’d do if he turned his back on me,” Daniel confessed, hoping the Earl could understand.

“So how did you come to have my watch? I gather it was you who sent it to your son then?” he asked Daniel who looked a little sheepish. “I must confess your Lordship that I stole it from our mutual friend Patrick O’Rouke and yes I sent it to my son, Harry.. well that’s what I call him.”

“Why?” the Earl asked, not knowing whether he was more angry or intrigued.

“Patrick and I were talking one day and he told me how you had entrusted the watch to him to be given to your long lost son. I guess another reason why I’ve been hesitant to reveal the truth to Harry is that..well to be honest.. he deserves a better father than me,” Daniel replied sincerely. “I started to think how wonderful would it be for him to think he was related to royalty and to enjoy all the benefits that entailed. Far more than a conman and thief could give him that’s for sure. That would be my ultimate gift to him – to give him the father he’s been searching for all these years. So I stole the watch and sent it to him with a note purporting to be from Patrick O’Rourke, saying his father always wanted him to have it. And I laid out a trail of clues for him to follow like the surprisingly good detective he’s turned out to be,” he added with a wry, sad smile as the Earl watched him thoughtfully.

“But now my plan has actually come to fruition I realised it wasn’t fair – either to you or to him. And to be perfectly honest I still hope that one day I may have the courage to tell him the truth that I am his father. No matter what they may cost me - he deserves the truth,” Daniel stated as the Earl nodded.

“Indeed he does,” he replied as he gave Daniel a meaningful look.

“I am very sorry for stealing your watch your Lordship and for giving you false hope but I’m hoping you will grant me one small favour?” Daniel asked hopefully. The Earl looked at him, the man who had saved his life and he also recognized something of a kindred spirit in him. A father, full of regret and love for his son.

He nodded and replied, “Name it.”

“Let him down easy. I know he’ll be so looking forward to finally meeting his father and I can tell how excited he is by that prospect so it will be a devastating blow to him when he learns you aren’t actually him,’ Daniel said as the Earl smiled. “Of course,” he allayed the other man’s fears as they shook hands, Daniel thanking him as they did so. “Well I guess I should leave you to it..” Daniel then went to take his leave but the Earl stopped him for a moment.

“I have a proposition for you Mr Chalmers,“ he stated as Daniel looked at him curiously. “I’m in need of a new Head of Security for the estate, and given your rather colourful background which I gather entailed bypassing a few security systems in your time, I assume you’d be quite an expert in the area?”

Daniel chuckled as a wide grin spread across his face. “You know your Lordship, that sounds right up my alley,” he replied, then added sincerely, “Thankyou,” in reference to both the job offer and his understanding.

Before Daniel stepped out the door the Earl said to him in parting, “ I do hope you decide to tell your son the truth one day so you can truly get to live the rest of your lives as father and son – I think the two of you need that. Lord knows I would give anything to be able to do that with my own son. As you may or may not know, there are also things in my past that I’m not proud of, but I was given a second chance at life when I found my dear Katherine. A life which thanks to you, I still have the opportunity to make the most of. I sincerely hope you get your chance to do that as well Mr Chalmers.”

Daniel nodded gratefully at him and replied, “Thank you your Lordship. And I sincerely hope you are reunited with your son one day” , then he walked out the door to find his own son and Linda or whatever her name was, waiting there to see the Earl. Forcing a smile onto his face he greeted them cheerfully, "Wonderful man, the Earl. His gratitude was boundless."  
  
"After all, you did save his life," Laura pointed out.  
  
"He's thinking of putting me in charge of security for the estate,” Daniel informed them with a mischievous gleam in his eye, reverting back to his usual self.  
  
"Daniel..” Remington replied in a warning tone, wondering what his old mentor was up to now.  
  
"Nothing definite. We're merely discussing it," Daniel reassured him as his son looked relieved.  
  
"Well, my boy, good luck," Daniel shook his hand affectionately, a sentimental expression momentarily crossing his face. "I hope this brings you everything you've always wanted."

He then turned to Laura before he let himself get too emotional, lest he give the game away, and kissed her on the cheek. “Linda, my dear, I'm afraid we shall have to postpone our luncheon. I shall be extremely busy. Looking at alarm systems, laser beams, light sensors- you know, the stuff of.. security," he laughed and waved as he headed off down the corridor, hoping Harry wasn’t going to be too hurt once his hopes of finding his father were dashed again.

“One day you’ll find him Harry – I promise. But not today,” Daniel thought to himself as he walked out of his son’s life yet again..  
  
  



End file.
